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Essay / Literary Analysis of “A Hanging” by George Orwell
In the essay titled “A Hanging,” the author, George Orwell, talks about a Hindu man preparing to be hanged in a Burmese prison by the guards . Orwell, who was one of the guards himself, must have witnessed the terrible hanging and later wrote this descriptive essay about what he had to endure that day. The author attempts to help the reader understand and experience what happened on the morning of the hanging. As a result of what he witnessed, Orwell was overwhelmed by the hanging. By witnessing the hanging, the author becomes aware of the death penalty. He does not support the idea of capital punishment. Orwell's view on capital punishment can be supported by the overall tone and mood he sets for the essay, the presence of the dog in the prison camp, and the actions of the men towards the end of the 'essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay First, the author sets the mood and tone from the beginning of the essay; which led him to realize that he believes hanging the prisoner was wrong. It begins with rainy, rainy weather in the morning, which one might consider the ideal weather for the hanging to take place. Then he carefully describes how the prisoner only had a cell of about 100 square feet and a small bowl of water to consume, quite inhumane conditions for this gentleman. He compared the conditions to animal enclosures. From the beginning, the reader can see allusions to Orwell's thoughts about the conditions in which prisoners lived and died. Orwell's description of how the "little will-o'-the-wisp of a man" offered no resistance when taken out of the cell, but was still handled by the six guards with bayonets and rifles, gives a insight into Orwell seeing the unnecessary force the man was exerting on the prisoner. who cooperated fully. Orwell made light of the situation when he described the conversation between the superintendent and the jailer about the need to cure the hangover so that the other prisoners could have breakfast; the conversation seems so inhumane. These two individuals didn't even seem bothered by what was about to happen, but just wanted to speed things up. For Orwell, who was watching the whole process, his enlightenment moment was when he saw the soon-to-be-hanged prisoner heading towards the edge of a puddle as he walked towards the gallows where his life would end by pulling a single rope. At that moment, Orwell realized that the condemned man was just as alive as anyone at the scene. It wasn't that he was just avoiding the puddle; this showed Orwell that the soon-to-be-hanged prisoner was still full of life and was taking the time, thoughtfully and carefully, to avoid a puddle, even though he was only a few steps from death . He realized how wrong it was that this prisoner's life ended at the mercy of the guards. Soon this man's life would end with the breaking of the rope and there would be "one mind less, one world less." Orwell also revealed his thoughts on capital punishment by introducing a dog into the plot. During the most solemn moments when the prisoner was being slowly led to his death, a large dog, unchained and unattended, bounded into the prison yard and ran happily, not knowing what was happening just a few minutes away. Orwell chose his language carefully when the superintendent said, “Who let that damn brute in here?” In Orwell's mind, it wasn't the dog that was the damn brute; maybe it was the guards. THE..